CERN Diversity in Action Workshop
Would you like to learn about how stereotypes form? How they could affect our professional life?
Would you like to explore ways to recognise and overcome unconscious biases ?

29 November 2016: ALICE-ATLAS-CMS-LHCb Career Networking Event.
Former LHC physicists talk about their careers outside HEP, be it as
employees of large companies or founders of their own start-ups, in
computing, engineering, finance, consulting, journalism,...

What are we here for?

Our aim is to help LHCb achieve a working environment
in which all LHCb members can thrive. This includes
especially those experiencing discrimination on grounds of gender,
sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, creed, cultural background
or other factors. But also early career physicists (including white
middle class heterosexual male ones) who wish to, eventually, escape
the precarious life of repeated short-term contracts and reach a
permanent position.

The ECDG office came to existence in response to the recommendations of the
Equality and Diversity Taskforce set up by the LHCb management, and has
been endorsed by the LHCb Collaboration Board.

Discrimination?

Happens. Really, even at LHCb, often unintended. This
can for example be working practices that exclude physicists who look
after young children (which affects not exclusively, but predominantly,
young women). A good example of an improvement in that respect is the
recently adopted policy of re-instating convenors at their former
convenorship posts after materntity or paternity leave. We are very
keen to hear your ideas and suggestions how we can improve our
working environment.

Another way in which discrimination can happen is on a
more personal level (sexist comments by colleagues, discriminatory
attitudes by your boss that hinder your career, unwelcome advances by
an individual in a position of power, ...). We see ourselves as a point
of contact for anybody experiencing any kind discrimination. We will
always listen confidentially, and discuss possible solutions. While we
have very little "hard power", we do have the open ears of a
sympathetic management, and we might be able to suggest organisations
or individuals who can help.